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Preschool ~ Days 40-41

“Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere! Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!” That ‘s the little song we like to sing when it’s time to… you guessed it! On Monday we did a much-needed toy purge in lieu of preschool. The kids helped me sort and organize all the toys, books and puzzles, and we packed up a big tub of things we rarely use. As a result, our play area is tidier, and the kids rediscovered toys that had been lost in the mess. We also played with the Thomas the Train tent and the GeoTrax train set—for letter T!

Day 41: Letter T & Balloon Experiment

Wednesday we got back on track with circle time, letter T, and a science experiment!

I have fond memories of making baking soda and vinegar volcanoes in the third grade and have been waiting for just the right time, place and way to introduce this experiment to the kiddos. Then I saw that someone on Pinterest did a balloon-inflating experiment using baking soda and vinegar. Genius! I didn’t read through those instructions (just saw the pictures), so here’s my version…

You will need:

baking soda

vinegar

a spoon

a funnel

balloons

a small-mouth bottle

Instructions:

Fill the bottle about a third to half full of vinegar. Insert the funnel into the balloon opening and spoon in about about 2 tbsp. of baking soda. Stretch the balloon opening over the mouth of the bottle, letting the full part of the balloon hang to the side. Lift the balloon so that the baking soda drops into the bottle. Watch the balloon inflate!

Explanation:

When the vinegar (acid) and baking soda (base) are combined, a chemical reaction takes place. The chemical reaction produces bubbles—that’s the gas (carbon dioxide) escaping the solution. The gas fills the bottle and expands out the top of the bottle into the balloon. Water is the product that’s left in the bottle when the reaction is over.

After we filled our balloons with CO2, we tied them with string and played with them in the wind. Then I let the kids do the experiment sans balloons so they could see the solution bubble right out of the bottle; this allowed me to better explain what was happening. And then they got out the hose and played in the water, which I realize may have been a little premature considering our current weather (after all, mid-60’s is not mid-70’s).

After circle time and stories, we wrote words that start with T and drew pictures of things that start with T. And now I have to brag on these kids for a moment: They said the Lord’s Prayer, sang their months of the year and days of the week, and counted all the days in the month of February all on their own! I am duly impressed by what proficient writers and artists they have become. Bravo!